Pierre Benoît Soult (19 July 1770 – 7 May 1843) joined the French royal army before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. He fought in the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

, emerging from the conflict as colonel of a cavalry regiment. A good deal of his early career was spent as aide-de-camp to his brother

Nicolas Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...

who became Marshal in 1804. Transferred to Spain during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, he first led a corps cavalry brigade, then after 1813 he commanded a cavalry division. During the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

he took part in the 1814

Battle of Orthez The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France. The outnumbered Fr ...

where he commanded 2,700 cavalry and watched the river line upstream (east) from the town of Orthez. He also saw action during the Hundred Days after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

returned from exile in Elba. After 1830, he was brought out of retirement when his brother became part of the government. SOULT, P. is one of the

names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe The following is a list of the 660 names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris. Most of them represent generals who served during the French First Republic (1792–1804) and the First French Empire (1804–1815). Underlined names signify ...

References

* Gates, David. ''The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War''. London: Pimlico, 2002. * Glover, Michael. ''The Peninsular War 1807-1814.'' London: Penguin, 2001. * Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill, 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Soult, Pierre Benoit French generals French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1770 births 1843 deaths People from Tarn (department) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe